… My conversation at the coffee shop with the young technician who drove a Datsun Z-280 was fascinating. His name was John. He graduated from Fordson High School and Henry Ford Community College. He was an electrical apprentice for the General Electric Corporation and he would be installing all of their telemetry equipment at the medical center. He was working under a Master Electrician and he hoped to become one as well. I never met someone so well grounded. ( please excuse my play with words) He knew exactly how many hours he would need to work to fulfill that requirement. He also knew he was being paid well, and he wanted to enjoy it. So he bought a 280Z Datsun.
..He wanted to know if I’d like to see it and I was quick to say yes to that offer. As we came to the contractors parking lot I could see it gleaming under the parking lot lights. A silver metal flake finish, all black leather interior, 4 speed manual transmission, and it looked incredible. He wanted to know if I wanted to see how it drove and again I was quick to accept that offer. I looked at my watch and I still had a half an hour before my lunch break officially ended. The interior was padded, soft black leather. He seem to glide out of the parking lot with little effort and had command of the 4 speed manual transmission.
…We made our way to the expressway and he got to show me how well this car handled. He then exited on the one of the service drives and was making his way up 3rd avenue, and commented about all the cars at the Willis Show Bar and Anderson Gardens. I laughed and looked at him quizzically. I explained, “you do know that this is Detroit’s Red Light District.” He seemed dumb founded. He didn’t know. He informed me that his friends hung out here. I shook my head. I informed him that they were not just there for the drinks. The ladies of the evening work there. I also explained to him that when I worked as a courier for the DMC laboratory, my brother also worked as an orderly in the Emergency Room. I would be called STAT to the Emergency Room to pick up bloodwork. My brother would inform me on what was happening.
…..It seemed the “ladies” made regular visits to our ER and the stories they told were fascinating but sad. I felt sorry for them and their predicament. I understood then why the Police always came down hard on the pimps. I also also gave him a little advice: ” It’s hard to run when your pants are down around your knees, and your wallet is being stolen, and that’s not including the ass whooping you just might receive at the hands of their pimps”. He looked shocked. “If you are looking for the young college women”, I explained, go to Alvin’s. It’s on Cass Avenue just south of here. It’s a deli during the day and a cool place to hang out at night. They have local bands, and the drinks aren’t that expensive. The crowd is mostly young people, students, some from Wayne State University, and the medical center.” He thanked me as he dropped me back off at work. I thanked him for giving me a ride, and wondered if he would heed my advice. My Life’s Journey To Be Continued….. Deuteronomy 8: 10-18
